Andhra Pradesh is racing to restore power, roads and phone networks after Cyclone Arnab, even as officials warn that another weather system in the Bay of Bengal could bring heavy rain to the same coast in the coming days. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu reviewed restoration work on Saturday and directed officials to speed up repairs and to prepare for the next system before it arrives.
The scale of the recovery is large. Electricity has been restored in 4,881 of the 5,404 villages that lost power in the area served by the state’s eastern power distributor, close to 90 percent, and work has been completed at 513 of 552 affected substations, according to state government figures reported over the weekend. Around 7,000 personnel are working on power restoration, and road links have been reopened at 119 of 137 locations where traffic was disrupted.
Telecom recovery has moved almost as fast in Andhra Pradesh, where overall network availability has reached 99.18 percent, according to the Department of Telecommunications. Availability is lower in the worst hit districts, at 98.5 percent in West Godavari and 91.96 percent in Dr B. R. Ambedkar Konaseema, where fibre cuts and power outages have slowed the last stage of repairs. Intra circle roaming has been activated across affected districts, letting subscribers use any available network, and 11 cell on wheels units have been deployed for emergency coverage.
A second system on the way
The fresh cyclone threat is the reason officials are moving quickly. A depression formed over the southeast Bay of Bengal is likely to intensify into a cyclone by Sunday, according to officials who briefed the Chief Minister, with moderate to heavy rain expected in South Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema on November 2, 3 and 4. That forecast turns the current restoration into a race against the next storm, since towers, substations and roads repaired this weekend could face fresh damage within days.
Naidu instructed officials to install diesel generators at all mandal headquarters so that mobile networks keep working even if power fails again, and to secure alternative power for all 4,500 BSNL towers in the state as well as towers run by other providers. Officials were also asked to explore battery energy storage options, a step that would reduce dependence on diesel during long outages.
Damage still being counted
A seven member central team has arrived in Andhra Pradesh to assess the damage, with preliminary estimates putting losses at 4,764 crore rupees across 12 districts, according to reports. The state has announced an ex gratia payment of 5 lakh rupees to the families of people who died in cyclone related incidents, and officials say paddy and horticultural crops, including coconut and oil palm, have suffered extensive damage.
In neighbouring Odisha, telecom services are gradually improving in Ganjam, Gajapati and Kandhamal districts as rainfall eases and floodwaters recede, with providers restoring damaged sites on a priority basis. For Andhra Pradesh, the immediate test is simpler and harder: finish the first recovery before the second storm tests it.
